Policy for hotels\, hospitals soon: AMC



Policy for hotels, hospitals soon: AMC

Decision comes following complaints on indiscriminate levying of administrative charges


LG Hospital

LG Hospital infra to be ramped up following growing rush of patients

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will come out with a policy on health inspection and charging fines for hospitals and hotels, said a top office bearer on Thursday.

The suggestion comes after a host of complaints that the inspection teams are levying administrative charges in an indiscriminate manner and that there is need for uniformity. The civic body also decided to strengthen infrastructure at LG Hospital after it found that, of late, there has been a sharp rise in patients.

The decisions were taken at the meeting of the standing committee of the civic body on Thursday. Now, the municipal commissioner will form the policy to bring about uniformity in inspection and administrative charges, Amul Bhatt, chairman of the standing committee told media persons after the meeting.

STRICT DIRECTION
  • One of the complaints that emerged during the standing committee meeting was that officials are not entertaining calls of corporators   
  • An instruction will be passed to the officials to receive calls of corporators and convey whether the request is worth following or not, said Amul Bhatt, chairman of standing committee

The policy will lay down guidelines to determine the extent and duration of violation and then determine administrative charges or fines accordingly. Sources said that there were serious complaints of wrongdoings by the inspection teams, necessitating the need for guidelines and uniformity in charges or fines to be levied. "As of now, charges are levied in a random manner," said Bhatt.

The committee also decided to upgrade diagnostic equipment at LG Hospital run by the civic body. "Of late, we have found an increased rush of patients at the hospital, especially for sonography and X-ray," Bhatt told media persons.

Dinesh Sharma, leader of the opposition said that this is because of closure of services at AMC-run VS Hospital. "The services were free at AMC-run hospitals. With these no longer available at VS Hospital, it is natural that citizens will go to LG Hospital. The AMC wants citizens to go to SVP Hospital, but only the wealthy can afford it," said Sharma.

However, Bhatt denied that the rush is because of closure of services at VS Hospital and insisted that those who were previously going to VS Hospital are now going to SVP hospital. Sources said that the influx of patients at LG hospital has risen by about 30% in just three months.

The civic body also decided to recruit more assistant engineers and public health supervisors for inspection of manholes. The issue of water-logging also came up for discussion during the meet. There have been frequent complaints of water-logging even when it rains slightly.